Things That Go Thug In The Night

NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT. Directed by Peter Sasdy, with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.ALL COPPERS ARE…Directed by Sidney Hayers, with Martin Potter and Nicky Henson. A Peter Rogers Production.

Judging by some of their recent releases, “Death Line”, “Vampire Circus”, “Night Hair Child” etc, the Rank Organisation are attempting to cash in on the success of Hammer, and they have now secured the services of Messrs Lee and Cushing, which I am sure they consider to be a nadir of success in this who can make a movie on the lowest budget contest. And there’s no doubt that NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT, title no connection with the content, is low budget, so low budget in fact, so superficially directed, that it’s tame enough to have an AA certificate instead of the regulation X for horror. Not even Diana Dors, a former auburn and later blonde. Rank starlet, from the good old days of British Film making, resplendent in an ill fitting chestnut wig, can bring life to Brian Hayles’ script with its reams of meaningless dialogue, and a style that turns the film into an awful pastiche of the worst type of 1950s style, British B picture.

Relegated to second place publicity wise, in this double bill, but definitely the dominant partner quality wise, ALL COPPERS ARE… “also starring” would you believe, Sandra Dome and Queenie Watts, is a very very tongue-in-cheek, well photographed, (up the junction, Battersea) look at a few days in the life of a young copper, Martin Potter, and the local long-haired crook, natty dresser and spiv, Nicky Henson. There are some awful right wing jokes about homosexuals, demonstrators and other assorted trendies which had the audience cackling and writhing with delight, but what with Martin Potter and Nicky Henson chasing Julia Foster, who could really take any of it seriously?